I am giving apologies in advance. With doing the Honor's program at my school, and with not having a copy of Order of the Phoenix, things are going slow. I am borrowing a friend's audiobook version of it, and it requires listening then deciding what to put, which is important with these next couple chapters. I wish it weren't that slow, but homework takes priority. Also, Monday afternoons are the best days for me to write, but I am also a procrastinator…So, I usually end up doing some kind of Paralegal course work during that time. But, semester is ending soon, and I'll be able to have some writing time to myself over the break. I am in college…talking like a high school student…anyway, I'm hoping to have Phoenix wrapped up by the time January rolls around. It's unlikely, but I'll be pushing ahead with that goal in mind.
Many thanks,
M
Chloe:
The door was shut, and Hermione marked the door with a flaming X. I made sure Ginny and I were touching arms gently. She didn't seem to mind. I was completely terrified now, my heart pounding in my throat.
The room spun yet again. When it stopped, two door now had angry marks on them.
The door Harry chose next was locked, and wouldn't budge.
"Now what, Sherlock?"
"Jason, what I said to Bess earlier stands for you, too," I responded angrily.
"Oh, I'm so scared!" Jason said sarcastically.
"No! We're not doing it," Harry said, obviously annoyed.
"Fair enough," said Hermione. "You could open the doors in your dream."
Hermione "X"-ed the door, and we all stepped back toghether.
The walls spun again, and Gretchen threw-up all over Hermione's shoes.
"Sorry," she moaned.
When the room finally stopped, yet again, Harry approached a door, but it opened easily.
Harry smiled with satisfaction.
He stepped in, and we followed.
The light was sparking and upon the walls there were dozens of clocks gleaming in the light. The ticking sounds quickly became obnoxious.
He led us closer to the specific thing emitting the light.
A jeweled egg in a jar. It hatched, revealing a humming bird, which began to die the moment it hit the wind. It fell back into the egg which can…well only be described as "un-hatched".
"We have to keep going," Harry reminded us.
We readily agreed.
Behind the jar, was another door.
"This is it," Harry hissed.
I could hear my heart in my ears and I made sure Ginny was still in grasping reach, while Harry gently opened the door.
It dawned on me to draw my wand. Everyone followed.
The door opened to a room with at cathedral ceiling, with wall to wall shelving. Upon the shelves ere thousands of grimy glass orbs. Their glimmer was dimmed by the dust, but still had some sparkle in the blue candlelight.
The room was cold, and I was wishing I had on more robes, especially since everyone BUT Bess had on school uniforms, so half of our group had on skirts. I shivered involuntarily.
Harry stuck his head down one of the isles. I was a few paces back, but I couldn't see or hear anything.
"Row 97?" Hermione asked quietly.
"Yeah," Harry returned.
The rows were labled in silver numbers, and we stood at the beginning of row 53.
"Right," Harry pointed, "and keep your wands handy."
So, of course, Gretchen headed left, but was stopped by Hermione, who grabbed her elbow.
I was thankful we were still in a group as we made our way down the alleys looking for the illusive row 97.
Underneath each orb was an aging label, giving brief summaries. Every so often we would stop and listen. Each time we stopped, there was nothing but silence, usually interrupted by Gretchen.
Bess offered to switch partners with Hermione twice, but Hermione refused, clearly preferring stupidity to insanity.
Row 84 was just as uneventful as row 53 had been.
At row 97, we stood grouped together, looking down the row, expectantly.
No one was there.
"Sirius must be down at the end," Harry hissed. Then he continued to lead our trek down the aisle.
"He's got to be close," Harry whispered every so often.
We went down the entire tier, but no one was there. Everyone had dust all over themselves.
"Obi-Wan'll kill me," Bess murmured.
"Harry, I don't think he's really here," Hermione said gently.
Silence bit at the air.
Harry didn't look at anyone.
Harry ran across the end of the files succeeding only in kicking up dust.
Sirius was nowhere to be found.
"Harry," Ron whispered.
"What?" Harry snapped.
"Have you seen this?"
"What?" Harry asked again, only curiously.
"It's got your name on it," Ron explained looking at a dusty orb.
"My name?"
The label was dated from what I could see 16 years before and "SPT to APWBD Dark Lord and ? Harry Potter."
Harry stared at the strange label.
"What's this about?" Ron asked.
"Harry don't touch it," said Hermione.
Of course, Harry was one of those children that when they are told to not touch they must touch, "Why not? It's got something to do with me, right?" he said while lifting the orb off its pedestal. Neville whined nervously.
Nothing seemed to happen.
But, from behind us, came a drolling man's voice.
"Very good, Potter. Now, turn around nice and slow and give that to me."
Black figures were emerging from thin air, blocking all means of escape. Eyes shone through slits in hoods, and 12 of 20 wands were pointed at our chests. Bess took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Ginny gasped in terror.
"To me, Potter," repeated the voice, slightly nastier, as he held out a hand.
My stomach lurched and I wanted to puke. We had half their numbers and a quarter of their combined skill.
"To me," came the order a third time.
"Where's Sirius?"
The figures laughed, a cruel woman's voice among them.
"The Dark Lord always knows!" she giggled gleefully.
"Always. Now, give me the prophecy, Potter," said the first voice.
"I want to know where Sirius is," Harry said again.
"I want to know where Sirius is," taunted the woman. The ring of deatheaters closed in, and were feet from their want lights hurting our eyes.
"YOU'VE GOT HIM! HE'S HERE! I KNOW HE IS!"
The woman mocked Harry, talking to him in baby talk about his dream.
Ron almost lunged, but Jason grabbed his wrist and shook his head.
The woman pealed with obnoxious laughter.
"Giving the other kids instructions, like that ginger would successfully fight us!"
"Oh, Bellatrix, you don't know Potter. I do," the first voice explained. "He suffers from a severe case of Hero Complex. The Dark Lord know that and played it to our advantage. Give me the prophecy, Potter," came the order again.
"I know Sirius is here!" Harry barked again.
"You should learn the difference between dreams and reality, Potter."
The way "Potter" was spat, I knew it had to have been Malfoy the elder.
"Give me the prophecy, or we start using the wands."
"Go on, then. We're ready!" shouted Harry, raising his wand to a battle stance. The rest of us followed suit, and Bess activated her lightsaber.
"A Jedi? Oh, the Dark Lord will be pleased."
But no move was made against us.
"Give me the prophecy and no one will get hurt," Malfoy warned.
Harry laughed.
"Yeah right! I give you the prophecy and you'll just let us skip off home?"
"Accio pro-," Bellatrix shrieked, but Harry created a shield and just barely managed to not drop the orb to the ground.
"I love games!" Bellatrix proceeded to shriek again…I suppose she just couldn't talk like a normal person.
"No! If it gets smashed-," Malfoy yelled at her.
A switch visibly clicked in Harry's head.
The chick ripped off her hood, and the obvious signs of a victim of Azkaban clung to her face but her eyes glinted in the same way as a wild animal, thirsty for blood.
"Oh, please let me play," she begged.
"Fine! The little one."
Gretchen went pale.
Bess growled and took a stance in front of Gretchen. "No. You. Won't," Bess told Bella darkly.
"Wait. You touch her, and I'll smash it. The Dark Lord wouldn't like that, now would he? What kind of prophecy is this?" asked Harry.
Bellatrix Lestrange became still.
"What kind?" she hisses. "You jest, Harry Potter."
"Nope! I seriously have no clue."
Silence resonated throughout the area.
"Why does Voldemort want this?"
There were hissing sounds echoing down the aisles and resonating around our cluster, reminding me of cockroaches.
"You dare speak his name?" Bella asked horrified.
"Yeah!" Harry returned boldly, "I've never had a problem calling him Vol-."
"Shut up!" Trixie hissed wildly. "You take pleasure in defiling his name! You ruin it with your half-blood tongue."
"Newsflash: Voldemort's a half-blood, too!"
There were several gasps.
"Yeah! His mum was a witch and his father was a muggle! He's been lying to you?"
"Stupi-!" Bella tried. Bess deflected it back at her, while Malfoy tried to calm her.
Bellatrix successfully blocked the return, but then it hit a shelf, shattering several orbs. Smoke escaped from the shattered glass, dissipating into the air, but the voices now free, intermingled, creating and eerie echoing affect, while Malfoy and Lestrange were arguing.
"Enough! What is so special about THIS prophecy?"
"Playing games with us is a foolish choice, Potter," Malfoy warned.
"Why would I do that?"
"Dumbledore never told you that the origins of your scar were here?" Malfoy asked half condescending half amused.
"What?"
"It cannot be!" Malfoy leered happily, causing a chorus of giggles from his companions.
"Never told you…this explains why you didn't come earlier for it. We figured natural curiosity would have brought you here months ago."
"Did he now?"
Hermione hissed in my ear to start smashing shelves on Harry's mark.
Bess nodded when she heard and began eying the shelves close by.
"Why did I have to come and get it?"
"Why? Only the people allowed to retrieve a prophecy are those that it concerns, as discovered by The Dark Lord when he tried to use others."
"Why does he want one about me?"
"Both of you, Potter. Both of you. You've never wondered why there was an attempt on your life when you were a baby?"
Harry looked to the eyeholes in Malfoy's hood.
"Someone made a prophecy about us?" Harry asked. "And I had to get it? Why couldn't he have come to get it himself?"
"Get it himself?" Trixie was wracked with giggles. "Like he could just walk into the Ministry of Magic? Especially with them ignoring his return…"
"So, you're doing his dirty work?" Harry asked.
Malfoy was going on another tangent, when harry gave the order.
"Reducto!" Nine of the ten voices shouted. Bess used the Force to pull down several nearby shelves.
"Run!" came the next order.
We all ran in the same direction, but in a disorderly fasion, with Ron, Luna, Ginny, and Bess sprinting ahead of the rest of us.
Someone managed to grab a hold of Harry, but Hermione stunned the perpetrator.
We reached the end of row 97, when Harry turned right, running as though in a marathon. Hermione and Gretchen, who had stopped to help Neville, were far behind. I was surprised to see Gretchen so focused.
The door we had come in was still open. Harry pounced through the door and waited until all of us managed to scramble through as well.
Hermione jinxed the door shut.
"Where are the others?"
"What?" Hermione asked.
"Ron, Ginny, Luna, and Bess passed us. I figured they'd be in this room."
I just then noticed Ginny wasn't around me anymore. I saw her pass me, it just then registered.
"They have Bess," I told Harry.
Jason suddenly looked extremely worried and pale.
"They must have gone the wrong way. But Bess is capable," Hermione assured Gretchen and me.
"Shhh!" hissed Neville.
Through the door, it was possible to hear shouts and loud footfall.
Malfoy yelled to leave someone because the prophecy was more important. He also called for a regroup, a split up, and for the goons to be gentle with Harry until they had the precious prophecy. He also said anyone else was fair game for killing "as necessary."
He proceeded to pair off his minions and sent them to search for Potter.
"Now what, genius?" Jason asked.
"We obviously can't stay here. We'll have to keep moving. It's our only chance."
We started running as softly as we could manage, trying to get away from the door Hermione had sealed. We almost reached the exit, too. The door shot open, and the others, including Gretchen dived behind the desks. I followed suit, trying to tuck in my robes the bare skin, hoping that my black robes would blend me into the shadows of the desk and wall. Though I covered my face, I could see the hems of our pursuers' robes coming closer. I shut my eyes, my heart pounding in my ears, eyes, and throat. I tried to calm myself as Bess might have.
I heard Gretchen's tight gasp for air. It appeared as though the deatheaters heard nothing.
"They probably made it to the hall," one growled.
"Check under the desks," the second one ordered the first.
The first voice's body leaned over to where Harry had dived.
Harry stunned the man, and the man fell backward, hit a clock, then slumped unconscious to the floor.
Harry started on the second man, grabbing him around the knees, forcing him to the ground.
Neville flipped his desk, and Hermione crawled out, as did Gretchen. Hermione disarmed the man and Harry, shooting their wands back toward the Hall of Prophecy. Harry shot up and dashed for the wands, but so did the deatheater. Neville, too.
Hermione shot another stunning spell, but missed the deatheater by inches, hitting a glass cabinet.
Hermione dashed forward, and stunned the deatheater successfully.
Hermione also summoned Harry's wand, but immediately handed it to him.
I crawled out. Gretchen and I were still trying to catch our breath when I heard Harry, Hermione, and Neville groan in disgust. Jason soon followed.
I then heard a severe scream. I looked at Gretchen and we both knew it was one of our people.
I pulled myself together and managed to catch up the other four.
"You can't hurt a baby!" Hermione said gently.
All I could think was "what baby?" it was a huge man's body with a baby's head. It was quite grotesque.
Harry urged us onward.
Gretchen's disgust was heard moments later as she caught up with us.
We scrambled into the black hallway. We saw two deatheaters heading toward us, so harry veered to the left and into an office. We followed him and Harry shut the door.
Hermione was attempting to magically seal it when it burst open again, the deatheaters lumbering inside.
Both deatheaters stunned us, and we were thrown back into the wall. My head made first impact, and I saw stars and pretty colours.
"Gotcha!" the man closest to Harry shouted joyously.
Hermione blocked a curse from being spewed from the close man.
Harry paralyzed the furthest deatheater.
"Great, Harry!" Hermione shouted.
But the triumph was short lived, as purple flames licked across her chest, coming from the closer man.
Hermione crumpled to the floor semi-gracefully.
Neville crawled to her aid.
The man kicked Neville in the face. Neville groaned and grabbed his nose. Gretchen yelled and ran to him. Jason, too.
I looked away from Neville and Hermione and saw Harry and the man I knew to be Antonin Dolohov (he had shed his hood), pointed each other's wands in each other's faces.
Dolohov couldn't speak for some reason, so he pointed at the prophecy in Harry's hand, and then at Hermione.
I began to feel queasy.
"You'll kill us all the minute I give it to you!" Harry fired back.
I swallowed hard.
"Harry, don't give it to him!" Neville urged, blood all over his face, hands, hair, and robes, even still pumping thickly out of his nose steadily.
I began to feel dizzy from the sight.
A crash broke everyone's concentration. The baby-headed monster was there, crying hysterically and swinging violently in all directions.
Harry petrified Dolohov.
The deatheater fell.
I turned from Neville to try and keep my lunch inside.
"Puke if you need to," Neville encouraged.
I suddenly was overcome with the stench of iron, and my munch came up, splattering onto the shiny floor.
"You're okay," Harry assured.
I saw Neville take Hermione's wand then he and Harry hoisted Hermione up onto Neville's shoulders.
As they left the room, Gretchen and I silently prayed that Bess was alive.
The baby-headed oddity was stumbling around the hallway far from us.
We snuck away from him and made it to the circular rotating room. The door shut and room spun. My head injury was not helping matters any. Gretchen and I both puked again.
When the room stopped, my heart sank.
Hermione's marks had faded.
Harry started to ask us our opinion of direction, when a door on the right flung open and four people stumbled out.
"Ron!" Harry shouted.
"Bess!" Gretchen, Jason, and I all yelled gleefully.
Ron responded to Harry sounding as drunk as our mother on Christmas.
Bess had a burn on her right arm. She had shed her cloak, and her sleeve was severely damaged.
Ginny was clearly injured and in pain. Luna was seeing to her.
"Bess, what happened?"